On the Inside
by IMAC11
Summary: This is my take on what would have happend if Emily and her mother had been caught up in the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979. I have no good summary, but I hope you enjoy the story:) Uhm, basically Emily and her mother are in the embassy when it's taken over and...well, read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Emily Prentiss stared out the window of the embassy to the streets. The riots had been going on for days now, she thought she was going insane. Her mother had told her to stay in the living quarters, but Emily always found herself wandering about the embassy. If she _really_ wanted to, she could leave, she was nineteen after all, no longer in her mother's legal care. She had wanted to come to Iran this time, if only to improve her Farsi. Most of the time, Emily was dragged to foreign countries by her mother. But now, looking out the window, Emily decided she should've let Farsi wait. Things were crazy. In the distance she could read anti-american signs, as well as pictures depicting the downfall of the U.S. She shifted her gaze to the iron gates of the embassy, only held together by a thick chain and padlock, as well as a small guard booth. She then looked over to the guard tower and stared at the guard. If things went too far, could they stop the hundreds of protesters? Emily didn't feel like knowing the answer. She turned out of the cubicle and walked to her mother's office. Knocking on the door, Emily waited for her mother to answer.

"Yes?" the voice of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss came from inside the room.

"Uh, mother, it's me." Emily answered, her hand resting on the knob of the door.

"Come in." Elizabeth said, looking up from her paperwork as her daughter walked in.

"How are you doing, mother?" Emily asked, sitting in a chair across from her the ambassador and crossing her legs.

"I'm okay, swamped in files, but okay." Emily's mother answered, looking back down to her papers.

"Are they doing anything about the people outside?" Emily asked, wondering if her mother knew anything.

"Emily, there isn't anything to be done." Elizabeth said, looking back up to her daughter.

"What? Mother, those people are ready to invade the embassy! What do we have? A couple of guards?" Emily pushed on.

"The embassy walls will keep them out, we have guards. It's fine." Elizabeth said.

"Fine?! You're blind, mother. They're practically ready to slit all our throats!" Emily said, agitated.

"What do you want me to do, Emily? Call Washington? We can't do anything!" Elizabeth nearly shouted, staring coldly into her daughter's eyes.

"Maybe you should, mother! Look at it! What if they got in? What would we do?" Emily responded, feeling fear and anger seep into her veins.

"That won't happen Emily." Elizabeth replied curtly. "This conversation is over. Go back to the living quarters. Have a guard escort you. I'll be in for dinner." The ambassador looked back down to her desk.

"Bye, mother." Emily snapped. "See you later." Emily got up and turned to walk out of the door. She walked down the hallway, sighing. If she didn't have a headache before, she did now. Emily walked past the elevator, deciding to take the stairs. She pulled open the door to the stairwell and began the way down the seven flights of stairs.

When she reached the bottom, she turned and walked over to the front doors. She stopped and walked over to the front desk.

"Hey, Merideth, would you happen to know where Larry is?" Emily asked.

"I think he's in the break room getting coffee." The older lady answered, smiling at the young woman.

"Thank you very much." Emily smiled, before turning and walking away.

Emily walked down the hall to her left, stopping at the second door. She poked her head in and saw Larry, one of the guards.

"Hey Larry!" Emily greeted, walking into the room.

"Hey Em!" he returned, turning around to take the young brunette in his arms. "How've you been young lady?" he asked, taking a step back.

"Okay, I guess. I'm worried about the people outside, but mother refuses to do or say hardly anything about it."

"Ahh, I see." Larry replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What do you think about it all?" Emily asked, shifting on her foot and wrapping her arms around her body, feeling a gush of cold air from the celing vent. Larry handed her a cup of coffee, which she glady accepted.

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. You can't breathe a word of it, though. Okay?" he said, looking back to Emily.

"Who am I going to tell, Larry? I only talk to you." Emily smiled, taking a drink of her coffee.

"Okay.." he trailed off, looking around the corner, he shut the door to the room. Turning back to Emily, he took in a breath. "Some of the higher ranked guard, security staff, and even some employees, including myself, were told that it's only going to get worse, and that the Iranian government won't do anything about it. The only thing that the U.S. government could do right now is send an extra security detail for you and your mother, and a few extra guards. That has to last us for a month to a month and a half until they can seriously get us out of here."

"What?!" Emily said, almost spitting out her coffee. "What about the people that work here? If I'm going to get an extra detail, they deserve more than a couple of guards! No offense Larry." She said, looking back to the guard.

"None taken, none taken," he smiled, "I know, Emily, I don't know why it's being handled this way, and I hate to sound selfish, but as long as you're protected, I'll find a way to deal with the rest of it. In my opinion, they should've taken you and your mother out _months_ ago when all this started to come out." The older man finished, sipping his coffee again.

"Thanks Larry, I can always count on you to protect me, can't I?" Emily laughed. Larry was like an uncle to her, he'd been an embassy guard that traveled with her mother since she could remember. More of a mentor to her, and guard later.

"Anytime. Now I suspect you needed something besides our little chat, and based on the way you came down from your mother, I'm going to guess you need an escort to the living quarters. Am I correct?" Larry asked.

"You would be correct." Emily smiled.

Larry opened the door, and holding out his hand, he bent over, "My lady." he smirked.

Emily walked out the door, and lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Come on, you goof." she giggled.

The pair walked back into the front hall and out the front door. Emily immediately became aware of the loud protesters and shivered. Larry moved her to the inside of him, next to the building. He briskly walked her the two hundred or so feet to the building they were headed for. He stopped when he heard Emily's startled gasp and turned to see what she was looking at. Two or three people held American flags being burnt. Larry put his arm around Emily's shoulders and turned her shaking form back into the building.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Em." Larry commented, guiding Emily down the hallway and into the elevator to take her to her living floor. Emily only nodded and stared blankly into the wall.

"Are they going to kill us?" she questioned, her voice wavering.

"I don't know Emily, you're too old for me to feed you crap. I really don't know what they're going to do, or if we'll make it two months. I'm sorry you have to be here." The older man answered, walking Emily out of the elevator. Once in her bedroom, Larry turned to the young woman.

"I suppose I'll see you at dinner, try not to think about okay, kid? It won't help. We're going to do everything we can to keep you guys safe, and the new people get here tomorrow. Hang in there." Larry said, turning to leave.

"Larry?" Emily spoke, her voice coming back to her.

"Yes, Em?" The man turned, his hand how resting on the knob.

"I'm scared." Emily whispered.

Larry walked back over to the brunette and took her in his arms, she wasn't scared often, not by a long shot. He knew this was getting to her and he hated it.

"You'll be okay. We'll get out of here. I promise." he said, unwrapping his arms.

"Promise?" Emily asked.

"I promise. Now get ready for dinner, you're mother won't be too happy." Larry said with a smirk, leaving the room.

Emily smiled to herself, they'd be okay. They had to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Ohkay, so, new story! Bwahahaha! I saw the movie Argo, which is about the six that escaped and that inspired this, which I hope you all enjoy. This is the first story I have to do a warning and disclaimer for!

Disclaimer-I do not own the movie Argo, or these characters. This is historical and I apologize for any errors..I wasn't alive when this took place in 1979! Most info here is from first hand sources though, so yeahhhh. I apologize if I offend any non-Americans, but I don't really know what was said or the thoughts, this is purely based on research I've done.

Warnings- There will be torture (although not too graphic or icky) And SOME situations might get inappropriate.

I think that's it, soo...READ ON!

* * *

Emily got up and walked into her bathroom, starting the shower. Emily slid off her jeans and boots, as well as her sweater and undergarments. Standing under the hot water, Emily let out a breath. She tried to relax, letting the water slide down her bare back, but she couldn't push the memory of the American flags burning outside the embassy from her mind. She admitted to herself that she wasn't just scared, she was terrified. Sure, she was getting more protection, but what about all the employees? What would happen to them? Would a security detail even work? Emily's thoughts were racing around in her head. She was mad at her mother for not doing anything, but the voice of reason chimed in with the fact that her mother could only call and tell the government in the U.S. Still though, Emily was worried.

She shampooed her hair and the last of her conditioner from home. She washed her body, and began to feel the water get colder. She started to get out, but found the cold water comforting. She was focused purely on the cold water and no thoughts of the protests outside. She got out when she started shivering and chattering. Wrapping the white towel around her body, Emily walked over to her closet. She selected a blue dress and a black wrap around with some black flats. She got dressed and towel dried her hair, which was now laying in waves down to her shoulders. Emily walked over to her bed and sat down, staring at her purple alarm clock. She watched as the small hand moved over the five, and the long one on the twelve. She was late. Sighing, Emily walked out of her room and down the hall to her left. She stopped two doors down and walked into the stairwell. Emily took her time walking down the few flights of stairs, not really wanting to face her mother again.

When she got down to the bottom, she opened the door and walked into the lobby of the building. She pushed open the doors and put her head down as the wind hit her face. She turned to her right and walked along the road to the dining hall. It was only few minutes of a walk, and she could've cut it in over half had she taken the inside way, but Emily wanted some fresh air. She was walking around the back of the building, not wanting to see the protesters right outside the embassy wall. She finally reached her building and walked in. She turned a corner and walked into the large room that served as a dining hall for her and her mother. She sat down at her seat across the table and looked up at her mother.

"Hello Emily." Elizabeth started.

"Hi mother." Emily answered, looking down at her salad.

"Where is the guard who escorted you here?" the ambassador questioned.

"I didn't have anyone accompany me to dinner, mother." Emily replied, looking up.

"So you took the inside halls, I assume." Elizabeth said coldly.

"No. I walked outside." Emily told her mother, holding her gaze.

"You did _what_?" Elizabeth said, setting her fork down.

"I went outside. What's the big deal? I went around back. It was fine."

"No, Emily, it wasn't. What if you were hurt?"

"By whom, mother? The embassy walls keep them out, remember?" Emily quipped, remembering her and her mother's earlier conversation.

"I don't appreciate the sass, Emily." Elizabeth sighed. "I just want you safe."

Emily didn't really know what to say. She looked at her mother's face and saw the sincerity there and didn't feel like arguing with her anymore. The two ate their dinner in silence, their eyes only focused on the food in front of them.

"Tomorrow, an extra security detail will arrive with a group of soldiers, they will be posted until we leave the embassy." Elizabeth stated, looking back to Emily.

"Okay." Emily nodded, already knowing this information.

"You _will_ stay with the agent assigned to you. you won't be pulling any of your stunts you do. I want you safe if things get out of hand. I want you protected. I know you'll hate it, but please, stay with them." her mother said, pleading with her eyes.

"Okay, I promise." Emily answered. "Can I please go back to my room?" The young woman asked, folding her napkin on the table.

Her mother nodded, "Take Larry with you, please, if you insist upon going outside."

"Yes, mother." Emily said, standing up to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow." she said, pushing her chair in.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Elizabeth said quietly, watching her daughter leave the room.

Emily left the dining hall and wandered around the building for about a half an hour before finding her way to a phone. She took it off the holder and dialed the number. She twisted her finger in the phone cord as the phone rang.

"United States Embassy Security Station, what can I do for you?" a voice came through.

"Hi, this is Emily Prentiss, I was wondering if you knew where Larry Simmons is stationed right now?" Emily asked.

"Yes Ma'am, he is currently stationed in the Visa Application Building."

"Okay, thank you." Emily said.

"You're welcome. have a nice evening."

Emily heard them hang up, and then the dial tone, and hung the phone in the holder.

Emily turned and groaned, the Application building was _at least_ a mile walk, if she went outside. Emily decided to stay true to her promise to her mother and stayed to the inside halls. Emily found the nearest stairwell and went down to the basement floor. She passed a guard stationed at the bottom and nodded.

"Miss Prentiss." He said, opening the door for her.

"Thanks." she smiled.

She started down the hallway, paying attention to the maps on the walls. She had to take a right, another right, her first left and then another right and she would find herself in the basement of the Application building. She was cutting her walk in half, but it still felt like forever in the gray hallways. Emily made it and had turned down her last right into the Application building when she made the mistake of looking out the small window.


	3. Chapter 3

I apologize for the smaller chapters, but I can update quicker. I'll try and make some longer ones:) Only for you guys...OOOH! My calssroom flooded today, fun! Yeah, so...READ ON! And! Enjoy the invisible cookies I'm giving you!

A/N: Thanks to all the reviews! They make my day!  
Deer-of-Ginger Yes, now that you mention it, given yesterday's events, I would have written that in on a Crack fic most likely!

Yaddayaddayadda. Shush Taylor, LET THE PEOPLE READ! *Insane Laughter* Oh boy, long night ahead! Enjoy:P

* * *

Outside, over the wall, she could see a dummy painted red, white, and blue, hanging from a crane, about to be set ablaze. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, and wiped the tears forming in her eyes, before running down the hall to the stairwell and up to the lobby. Just like the station had said, Larry was standing by the front door. He smiled when he saw here emerge from the stairwell, but his smile faded, as he saw the tears in her eyes. He jogged over to her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Emily. What's wrong?" he asked, worry in his voice.

"Larry, look outside, they're burning a hanging dummy, it's American. I saw it when I was coming through the basement, because mother didn't want me outside alone, and told me to come find you, an-and-and-" she just stopped talking, her eyes focused on the window.

"Okay, I'm taking you back to your room. You're going to stay there. And you aren't going to think about it. I know it's scary, it's terrifying, people in here are worried too, but we can't do anything. you're detail will be here tomorrow, just relax, okay? For me." Larry finished, snapping his fingers to get Emily to meet his eyeline.

"I promise." she said, giving him a watery half-smile.

"I brought a few VHS tapes of Dallas and The White Shadow." Larry said, walking beside Emily.

"Thanks, do you mind if I watch them?" she asked.

"What kind of guy would I be if I told you and didn't let you watch?" he laughed, "of course you can watch them!"

"Thanks, Larry." Emily smiled, sniffling.

"You're welcome, kid. You're welcome."

Larry opted to take Emily on a route inside the building. With less windows. Eventually they got to her room and he settled her down.

"I'll be back in about half an hour when my shift ends with the VHS tapes, okay?" he asked.

"That's fine, thanks again." Emily said, giving him a quick hug.

Larry nodded and left her room. Emily walked back over to her bed and plopped down on it. She kicked her shoes onto the floor and rolled on her side. She looked at the time, it was seven-thirty. She didn't realize she had taken that long, but she w_as_ suddenly aware of how tired she was. Emily shut her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She distracted herself with thoughts of the security detail the next day. Who would it be? Would they be nice? Would they be stiff? Young? Old? Emily hoped it wasn't someone hwo never spoke and watched you with beady eyes like a hawk. She would die. She supposed if they were like that she could just hang out with Larry, although she didn't want to incovienence the older man, he was pushing fifty-five, she didn't want to give him a heart attack or have him pop a blood vessel. Emily felt herself get sleepy and tried to stay awake, without success. Emily never got to see Larry come that night, she was out before eight. He came in and set the tapes on her dresser, kissed the crown of her head and left to go to the guard barracks.

Elizabeth Prentiss trudged up the Living building stairs, wondering why she didn't take the elevator. She walked into her room, but stopped. She turned and walked down the hall a little farther and slowly opened the door to Emily's room. She shook her head at her daughter and smiled. The ambassador walked over to Emily and picked up her head, laying her daughters head down on the pillow. She pulled the blanket up to Emily's shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"I just want you safe. I love you, baby." Elizabeth said, kissing Emily's head.

She slowly walked back into her room and layed down. Elizabeth wouldn't admit it, but the protestors were worrying her as well. Very much so.

The next morning, Emily woke up at around seven. She slowly got up and walked to her bathroom. She brushed her hair out, and decided to leave it curly, not wanting to straighten it. Emily walked back into her closet and pulled out a pair of blue skinny jeans, despite the fact they weren't 'in' right now. She also slid on a navy blue long sleeve shirt and put some of her old black riding boots on. Emily put her cross body bag on and opened the door slowly, backing out. She shut the door quietly and let out a breath.

"Miss Prentiss?" a man's voice rang out.

Emily screamed and slammed her back against the door, her hand over her mouth.

"Who are you?!" She demanded. "Giving me a heart attack. Geez."

"I'm sorry Miss Prentiss. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Aaron Hotchner. I was assigned here as your security detail."

"Oh, you guys get here early, don't you? Mother didn't say you'd be here when I woke up." Emily said, straightening her shirt and standing up.

"Our flight left quicker than we had expected, plus the time change put us here early." Aaron said, straightening his stance and folding his hands in front of him.

"Ohhh, okay." Emily said, not knowing what to say to him.

"Miss Prentiss, is there somewhere you'd like to go?" he questioned.

"Ahh, I was going to get breakfast, but can you do something for me?" she asked, looking at him.

"Yes Ma'am." He answered, staring back at her.

"Okay, could you maybe not call me Miss Prentiss, or Ma'am, or any of that? Could you just call me Emily?" She asked, smiling up at him.

He nodded and looked at her, "If I'm going to call you Emily," he paused, testing the name on his tongue, "You can call me Hotch, or Aaron if you want. Or Agent Hotchner, whichever you like." Aaron finished.

"Sure, Hotch." Emily said, going for Hotch. "May we go get breakfast now?" she asked.

"Sure, are we going outside or down to the basement to get there?" Hotch asked the younger brunette.

"You're giving me the option?" She scoffed.

"I'm not going to boss you around. I'm just here to make sure nothing happens to you." Hotch answered.

"Okay." she smiled. "I want to take the basement way." Emily said, walking down the hall.

"Really?" Hotch asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Why are you so surprised?" Emily questioned.

"You're mother told me you'd probably want to go outside." he answered simply, catching up to her.

"I used to, but I don't like seeing what they're doing anymore." Emily stated, walking into the stairwell as Hotch opened the door for her.

"The protestors?" Hotch asked, following her down the stairs.

Emily nodded and looked back. "It's scaring me."

The two walked into the basement and made their way to the dining hall in silence. Hotch had followed Emily almost the whole way, when he wasn't opening the door for her. Sure, he was being overly nice to her, but she deserved it, she was nineteen according to her profile he recieved, and had never stayed more than a year and a half in one place. Now she was dealing with this. He was only five years ahead of her but he already felt the strong need to protect her with everything he had.


	4. Chapter 4

So! Next chapter is up! Haha. Sorry for the wait:) I don't really have anything to say that pertains to the story, but oh well. THABK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, FAVS, AND FOLLOWS! I appreciate them greatly! Enjoy!

* * *

Emily sat down at the table and began to eat her eggs, which were served with toast. She looked up at Hotch, who was still standing at the door, looking at the wall.

"Are you going to eat?" Emily asked, getting the serious man's attention.

"I ate on the plane." he stated, looking at the brunette who was turned in her chair.

Emily nodded and took a sip of her orange juice. She turned back around to face him and smiled.

"What did you have? A mouse serving of peanuts?" Emily inquired, her voice laced with playfulness.

"Actually," he began, "It was a mouse serving of granola." he finished.

Emily couldn't help but laugh at Hotch's words and he soon found himself laughing. It was a fact. Emily's laugh was contagious.

"Ookay, big man. You're eating breakfast with me. Come sit down and eat. I can't have a withered Hotch, now can I?" Emily joked, watching as he took a seat next to her.

The cook brought out another plate of food and glass of orange juice. Hotch said 'Thank you' and the cook nodded, before asking Emily if she needed something. Emily told him no, and wished him a good day as he went back to the kitchen. Emily finished her breakfast and watched as Hotch ate his.

"So, how old are you?" she asked.

"I'll be twenty-five in less than a month." he answered.

"Hmmm. Where are you from?" she asked again.

"Virginia." he answered, swallowing the last of his orange juice. "You?" he countered.

"I'm actually from Virginia too." Emily answered.

"What do you do around here all day?" Hotch asked her, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Well, usually I read. Or doodle. Or watch news, I can understand some Farsi, that's actually why I came this time. Oh! And on special occasions, I'll bring out the old nap card, when I'm ready to kill myself." she said, smirking.

"Well, if I may say so myself, you have a very action packed life here at the embassy, don't you?" Hotch smiled.

Emily chuckled and stood up. "Actually, Larry, he works here and I've known him my whole life, gave me some VHS tapes of Dallas and The White Shadow if you want to watch them with me. That's what I was going to do today." Emily said, walking net to Hotch as they exited the dining hall.

"I have to stay outside your room Emily. Your mother's orders." Hotch answered, shooting her a remorseful look.

"Mmmm. Or you could not stand there like a statue, and protect me from my room. With the TV." Emily countered, looking at him.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Emily. I don't want people to get the wrong idea."

"Agent Hotchner! I seriously doubt you're going to jump me in there. Chill out. No one will think that. Just watch the damn tapes with me." Emily laughed.

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am." Hotch said, smiling at Emily.

"Good. Now that we're on the same page, we can decide what we're going to watch." Emily began.

"Well, Dallas sort of puts me to sleep, but I actually really like The White Shadow." Hotch replied.

"Okay, White Shadow it is." Emily finished.

The pair walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way. Emily was glad he wasn't like she thought. He was serious, sure. But he had a funny and playful side as well. She felt safe with him, and already trusted the brunette man next to her.

Hotch again opened the door for his newfound friend. Yes, he had decided to call Emily his friend. Even if she didn't feel the same way. She'd been the only one to make him smile, let alone laugh in awhile. Emily walked up the stairs and stopped.

"Hey, Hotch?" she asked.

"Yes, Emily?"

"Would you mind if we kept going another minute or so to the guard barracks?"

"May I ask why?" he replied, "I mean, yeah I don't mind, I just am interested as into why."

"Yeah, you can ask why. Doesn't mean I'll tell you." she smiled slyly as they walked back into the halls.

Hotch's face contorted into a look of confusion, and then he stiffened.

"I'm sorry if I was being intrusive, Emily." he apologized.

Laughing, Emily hit him on the arm.

"Relax Hotch, I was just messin' with you." she chuckled. Emily looked over at the older man and stopped.

She pulled him back and made him stop and look at her. Then, she made a mock expression of seriousness.

"Sir Mr. Frowney Face. I would sure appreciate it if you lightened up a little bit." she said in a monotone voice, trying not to laugh.

Hotch couldn't control himself at her little act, and he started laughing.

"That," he said, "was priceless."

"Glad you liked it." Emily smiled, walking at their normal pace again, she began to speak. "I wanted to go to the guard barracks to say 'hi' to Larry, I told you about him, right?"

"Yep." he answered.

"Okay, that's my reason." Emily finished.

Hotch nodded and they kept walking, soon reaching the barracks. Emily and Hotch walked up the stairs to the ground floor, and Hotch followed Emily as she found her way into the guard dining room. She spotted Larry facing the other direction and walked up to him.

"Hey, Larry." she said, smiling as he almost spilt his coffee. "Got ya." Emily said, smiling again.

"Em, if I didn't love you, you would so be in trouble right now." he replied, hugging the brunette.

"Well I guess I'm lucky then, huh?" she

said. "Oh, Larry, this is Hotch. Hotch, this is Larry." Emily introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you sir, Emily's told me about you." Hotch said, shaking the Larry's hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Agent. Your boss said impressive things about you. I expect you'll keep her safe." Larry said, gesturing to Emily, who had busied herself with a local newspaper.

"I'd die for her already, and it's only the first day. She's a great young woman." Hotch said.

"Hey. Don't you be fallin' for her, youngin." Larry said. He noticed Hotch's face and laughed. "I'm just jokin' with ya. But seriously, treat her right." Larry said, looking into Hotch's eyes.

"Yes sir." Hotch said.

The pair of men turned back to look at Emily, who was still absorbed in the newspaper she had taken from Larry's spot.

"Find anything interesting, kid?" Larry asked, looking at Emily.

"Not really, just that more and more people are supporting the protestors, saying it is a "just and noble cause." Emily sighed, looking back at Larry.

"I don't know what to tell ya, Em." Larry said, gazing at the paper. "What are you up to today?" he asked.

"Oh, nothin' much. I'm forcing Hotch to watch the VHS tapes you got me, but he likes The White Shadow, so he won't be totally miserable." Emily replied, standing up.

"That's not what I said! I swear, I really don't mind watching-" Hotch began to stutter, but he saw the two smirking at him and turned. "I give up." he muttered, walking into the hallway.

"He's not much of a joker is he, Em?" Larry asked.

"No. But he'll get used to it after awhile." Emily answered, looking at the door.

"That he will," Larry sighed. "That he will."

"I'll catch you later, okay?" Emily said, walking towards the door.

"Yep, see ya." Larry said, waving.


	5. Chapter 5

Annnnnnnnnnd here's the next chapter! I'm all sick and stuff so the spent the day writing:) Thank you so much for the reviews, favs, and follows! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Emily left the room and saw Hotch standing against the wall by the stairwell. She walked over to him and stopped.

"Hotch, I'm sorry. It's just sarcasm and joking is me and Larry's way of surviving here." she said, looking up at him.

"I know, I guess I'm not used to it. They never joked back at base. It was always 'Do this.' or 'Do that.' Not one smile or laugh. Ever." he said, looking back down at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Emily said, putting her hand on his arm. "You'll get enough here to make up for it. How long do we have to catch up to?" she asked, walking into the stairwell.

"About five years." he said, making his way down the stairs behind her.

Emily laughed, "Oh yeah, you'll be caught up by next week." she laughed, casting another playful look at him.

Once back down in the basement, the two walked in silence again, the only noise being their shoes on the tiled linoleum floor. They made it about three-quarters of they way there when they heard a loud crash and cheers from outside. Hotch immediately grabbed Emily's shoulders and sat her down against the opposite wall from the window. He walked over to the window and peeked out the top of it. He saw a fire burning in the courtyard. Someone had thrown in a molotov. Things just went from bad to worse. The molly had almost reached the front door of the embassy, but guards were throwing buckets of water from the inside of the building to put it out. He turned back to Emily who was staring at him angrily.

"What happened?" she asked, as Hotch helped her to her feet.

"Nothing." he said plainly.

"You know, I'm not some little kid that can't see what's going on. You don't have to protect me from everything they do." she spat, looking ahead.

"Emily, it could've been a grenade for all I know. It's my job to protect you." he answered, looking at her.

"Still though." she said, realizing he was right.

"You're really stubborn, you know." Hotch said, opening the door to the Living Quarters stairwell.

"I get it from my mother." Emily answered walking up the stairs.

They made their way up the stairs and into the main building. Hotch called the elevator as Emily stood next to him and waited with her arms crossed.

"Are you mad?" he asked, looking concerned. Not good to piss her off on the first day.

"No," she smiled, "I'm just cold." she said, stepping into the elevator as the slightly annoying ding went off, telling the two their ride was here.

Hotch pushed the number five button and they began their ascent to Emily's floor. the elevator bell dinged again and they got off and walked to her room. Emily opened the door to her room and watched as Hotch hesitantly stepped in.

"Hotch. Chill." she said, closing the door behind them.

"I'm sorry, I've just never been in a girl's room before. Well, besides my mom's."

Emily chuckled, "Well here it is, in all its glory. Clothes on the floor, an unmade bed, and lots and lots of lotions and stuff."

Emily walked over to her bed and pulled the comforter up to the pillow.

"You sit here," she said, pointing to a spot on her bed, "And I'll sit here." she finished, patting on another spot a few feet away.

Emily walked across the room to her TV and turned it on. The local news came in showing protests outside the embassy and Emily read the headlines before turning it off quickly. It wasn't good news. She slid one of The White Shadow tapes in the VCR and walked back over to the bed. She sat down next to Hotch and scooted back so her back was up against the wall and watched at the show began to play on the television. The two watched as Reeves and the team talked to Jackson about his alcohol problems and handled the situation. The show was quite mind numbing to Emily, who devoted all her attention to the episode to keep her mind busy. Hotch, on the other hand, was throughly interested and engrossed in the storyline.

They watched a few more episodes and eventually Emily fell asleep at about two in the afternoon. Hotch looked over at the sleeping brunette and decided to let her be. He slowly got up and turned off the TV before he walked back over to Emily, who was now halfway laying down on the pile of pillows she had sat against. He grabbed a throw off a chair in the room and draped it over Emily's sleeping form. He walked to the door and slowly opened it and walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly. Hotch resumed his place outside of Emily's room, his hands folded in front of him, face blank, ready to protect the young woman inside.

At half past six, Elizabeth Prentiss came storming down the hall, anger evident on her face. Anger directed at her daughter for being over and hour late for dinner. She stopped when she saw the tall, young man outside of her door.

"Is Emily in there?" Elizabeth demanded.

"Yes Ma'am." Hotch answered.

"Would you mind telling me exactly why she isn't in the dining hall eating her dinner with me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. She fell asleep around two, and I haven't heard her get up yet. I know the stress from outside is affecting her and I figured I'd let her sleep. I didn't realize I was disrupting your schedule. My apologies." Hotch said, stepping aside.

Hotch watched as Elizabeth's anger melted into sadness for her daughter. She went to open the door, but decided against it. Emily was more stressed out lately, and she hardly ever took naps. Elizabeth stepped back and turned to Hotch.

"Okay. Let her sleep, but when she does wake up, would you mind telling her to phone me or at least tell her I stopped by. I have a meeting tonight at seven-thirty in my office, so she can reach me there." the ambassador finished.

"I will do that Ma'am." Hotch said, resuming his place outside of the door.

"Thank you, Agent Hotchner. Have a good evening." Elizabeth said, turning to leave.

"You too, Ambassador." Hotch replied, watching as Emily's mother stepped into the elevator and went about her business.

Hotch had to admit, he was getting hungry, and he figured Emily would be hungry when she got up, so he decided to go down the hall to the vending machines in the recreation room. He thought about not going, and waiting until Emily was up, but he heard his stomach growl more than five times. In the last minute. If she hadn't made him eat that mornign it probably would've been worse, but oh well. He decided Emily would be safe for the five or so minutes it took for him to get back. Hotch walked down the hallway to the rec room. He pulled out a couple of dollars and put them in the machines. He ended up getting a couple cans of Pepsi, along with sunflower seeds, chips, and a Twinky or two for desert. He wondered to himself how they had American products in Iran, but didn't complain. At least he knew what junk food they were eating. He walked back down the hall, and realized he left the two drinks. Hotch walked back to the rec room and grabbed the two sodas. He turned around and walked back to Emily's room.

Hotch opened the door slowly to see if she was still sleeping, but found that she wasn't in bed. He felt panic root itself in his stomach as he walked into the room, drawing his gun. He looked around her room and cleared the bathroom. The last thing he did was open her closet to make sure she wasn't in there for something. His stomach dropped. She was gone. Where was she? Who did it? He told himself to relax. She probably got up and wandered to find him. But what if they did take her? She'd be tortured, and held hostage, and God knows what. He swallowed thickly. Hotch set the food and drinks he had just gotten on the nightstand by Emily's bed and walked back into the hallway. He jogged down the hall, checking all the rooms for the missing brunette. She wasn't there.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N I'm really sorry fo the slow update, I have a couple more chapters written out, but my computer didn't feel like connecting to the internet. I really am sorry if I offend anyone, or make them unhappy I was not in Iran when this happened, I don't know what is accurate, nor how the protestors acted. Uhm, I kind of just wrote what came to me and my beta's mind, so yeah. Any comments or suggestions, you can PM me or leave a review. Thanks, and enjoy:)

* * *

Hotch finally ran past the rec room, and saw she wasn't there either. The only place left was a different floor. He walked to the elevator and saw that someone was in it, and going down. Hotch sprinted to the stairs and down to the main lobby, arriving at the same time the elevator did. The doors opened and out stepped Emily Prentiss. He sighed in relief. he walked over to her and lightly grabbed her arm. She turned quickly to him and breathed as well.

"Geez. You do know how to scre me," she joked, "I was just looking for you.

"No, no, no. _You_ are the one who scared me this time. I was worried. Do you want to go upstairs? I got some snacks." he suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Why were you so worried?" she asked him, both stepping into the elevator.

"Well," he said, pushing the button, "I was terrified someone had gotten in and taken you, I mean I knew it was unlikely but I would never forgive myself if they got you. I mean, they're not to kind to hostages period, and especially given that you're a woman, they'd be even worse." he finished, taking in a breath.

"Oh." Emily said, looking up at the worry etched on his face. "I'm sorry I scared you, I just got up and you weren't there, so I decided to check the front desk to see if they saw you. I aprreciate the worry though. I mean, I don't like you worrying, but it's nice to know you actually care. I'm not just some job." she finished. The elevator opened and they stepped out.

"Thanks." he chuckled. "Why would you think you're just some job?" he thought out loud.

Emily stopped and turned to face him. "Because that's how my life has been up until now. Watch Emily Prentiss. The Ambassador's daughter. Keep up appearences. Don't misbehave. Keep her in line, you'll be out in no time." she said, tears almost forming in her eyes as she recounted the main part of her childhood.

"I'm sorry Emily." Hotch said, opening the door to her bedroom.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I mean, I actually _like_ having you around. I was going to just keep finding ways to ditch you, even though I'm not supposed to, but...you're not like I suspected, Agent Hotchner." Emily smiled, sitting on her bed and opening the sunflower seeds.

"Thanks...I guess?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, shut it." she laughed, chucking a sunflower seed at his head.

They ate in silence and occasionaly talked about something stupid to break the silence. Eventually, they got into a pillow fight and Emily won, even though Hotch let her. She wouldn't admit it. It was now around nine o'clock and Hotch decided to let Emily go to bed. She told him thanks for the snacks and a fun day, and saw him out her room. He informed her he'd be just down the hall in his room should she need anything. He left the room, and Emily went to start her shower. She got undressed and stepped into the shower. She sighed again as she felt the warm water hit her back, and closed her eyes. Emily did her normal shower routine and soon finished. She got out and towel-dried and brushed her hair, not bothering to blow dry it.

Emily put on some shorts and a tank top, and got under her blankets. She stared out the window above her TV and couldn't help but wish she was back home. Her thoughts once again drifted out to the protestors and what Hotch had said in the elevator. If they did get captured, would the Iranians kill her or keep her as a hostage? Would they get rid of Hotch? Would they really torture her? Since she was the Ambassador's daughter, Emily realized she might have even more of a target on her back than she had thought. Around ten, Emily finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the U.S. and peace.

Emily was awoken by Hotch shaking her shoulder frantically.

"Emily! Emily! Get up! Quickly!" he whispered.

"Hotch?" she asked sleepily, "What's going on? What are you doing in here? What time is it?" she asked, noticing it was getting bright, but not full daylight. Too early for her to be up, anyways.

"I don't have time to explain, not now. Just get up, and get dressed, hurry!" he said, going back outside.

Emily's mind was in overdrive as she put on her jeans and boots from the previous day, and grabbed a Yale sweatshirt she had before she left school to come here. Emily grabbed her over the shoulder bag after she put on her sweatshirt. She slipped it over her head and walked out the door.

"Hotch. Tell me what's going on!" she demanded, as she saw an employee come out of the file room they had with all the papers in a cart. "What are they doing?!" she almost yelled.

"Emily. Listen to me, okay. The protestors got in, the guards can't hold them back they said we have a half an hour to burn everything and get to saftey." Hotch explained, tugging Emily down the stairwell.

"What do you mean, Hotch?! Where's my mother?! We-we-we" she stuttered.

Hotch stopped abruptly outside the door to the basement. He turned to Emily and put his hands on her shoulders. "Emily. They're inside. They're here. in the Embassy. I have to get you to saftey. You have to be protected. Your mother's detail will see to it she is safe, but right now, I have to make sure you are. Okay? _You_ are my number one priority right now." Hotch told her, running out of breath. "Now come on."

Hotch began to run, letting her go, as she jogged next to him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, as he turned another corner.

"Basement, basement." he said, taking her down another long hallway.

"What?! I'm not going down there, it's gross, I need to go with my mom!" she yelled, stopping mid hallway.

Hotch sighed, exasperated. "This whole stubborness thing has got to stop.I have to get you there." he pleaded.

"I'm not going." she stated, stomping her foot for emphasis.

Hotch had to resist the urge to chuckle at her childlike behavior.

"Okay, Princcess Emily, if you're going to act like a child, I'm going to treat you like one." he said, striding over to her.

"What's that supposed to me-" she started, but was interupted by the fact that Hotch had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder, and started jogging again.

"Aaron Hotchner! You put me down this instant!" Emily screeched.

"Shh!" Hotch whispered harshly. "Don't let them hear you."

Hotch continued jogging until he found what he was looking for. The door to the basement. He opened it up and walked down the stairs. He walked into the room and saw the preserves and water on the shelf and sighed. 'Good. She'd be safe.' He gently set Emily down in the corner and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" she asked frantically.

"I have to do something." he answered, looking back.

"You can't leave me!" she said, getting up.

"I have to. I'll be back soon, I promise." he reasoned with her.

"Please don't go Hotch." she said, walking over to him. "I'm scared. What if they find me? What if they do what you said? Please don't go." she pleaded with him, tears streaming down her face.

Hotch felt his heart break in two at the sight of her pale face stained with tears, looking up at him. He couldn't think of what to say, so he just pulled her into a hug. He felt her latch onto him, and felt a tear of his own fall down his cheek.

Emily, I promise I'll be back. I swear. And then we'll get you out of here, okay?" he whispered in her ear, rubbing circles on her back.

"Okay." she sniffled, letting go of him. "Promise?" she asked.

"I promise." he said giving her another quick hug.

With that, Hotch turned and went back up the stairs. He shut the door behind him and locked it with his key, to make sure she wouldn't try to run. He felt bad, but she had food, water, a shower, and toilet down there. 'She'd be fine.' He repeated it in his head as he ran back down the hallway. 'She'd be fine.'


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guise! So I wrote this today like in hyper mode! Uhm. I apologize if I offend anyone, like I said, this is all pulled from my sick mind:3 So yeah, thanks you very much to all my reviews and FAVS and follows, they mean alot! And I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Emily settled back into the corner an pulled her knees to her chest. Thoughts buzzed around her head. When would Hotch be back? What if they found her? Where was her mother? Emily just pulled her knees closer to her chest and put her head down. She didn't try to stop the salty tears that gushed down her cheeks. She sobbed into her jeans, feeling the wetness on her knees. After awhile, Emily got up and looked around the basement. She walked over to the shelf across the room and saw a can opener, cans of vegetables, fruits, and dry milk and some other things. She walked back over to the blanket and pillows Hotch had set her down on and layed back down. She looked above her on the shelf to see a pack of batteries, and a clock. She got on her knees and stared at the hands. It was seven in the morning now. Emily stood up and grabbed a can of peaches and the opener. She walked back over and sat indian-style on the ground as she opened the can. She grabbed a plastic fork above her and stabbed one of the peaches, and put it in her mouth.

Who was she kidding? She wasn't hungry. She was worried sick. For her mother, for Hotch, for herself, for Larry, for all the employees. What was happening Outside? She tried to still the thought and cried out in frustration when she couldn't stop it. She ate a couple more peaches and layed her head down on the pillow. Emily shut her eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't. She decided to get up and organize the shelves, her inner OCD distracting her.

She scooted all the cans down to one end and began to sort them. Fruits on one side, veggies on the other. Dehydrated Milk in the middle. She alphabetized the vegetables and fruits, then set the can opener at the end. Emily walked over to the shelf above her and put the cans of peaches she didn't line up on the other side above her. Peaches were her favorite. She put the alarm clock on the end and the flashlight and batteries between the fruit and clock. She stood up once more and wandered into the bathroom. There was an old shower and toilet, although Emily intended on being as silent as possible. Emily decided to try and go to sleep again, seeing how it was that or sit and cry. She layed down and pulled the blanket up to her neck , turning on her side, and shutting her eyes.

Emily woke up some time later, at around three-thirty in the afternoon. She got up quickly to check for Hotch, but he wasn't there. Emily felt pangs of sadness, grief, worry, and fear shoot into her stomach. Emily replayed the events of that day in her mind and felt a new wave of tears prick her eyes. She sniffled and wiped her nose, before wandering around some more. Finally, she remembered she had brought her bag. She bent down and picked it up from its spot by the door and walked back over to her new bed. She resumed her old sitting style and opened up the brown, faux leather bag. Inside, she found a pad of paper and pens, bobby pins, rubber bands, her wallet, and, she smiled, her new Sony Walkman. Emily grabbed a tape and turned the device on. She leaned up against the wall, feeling somewhat better now that music was pouring into her ears.

After she listened to all of her tapes, she put her Walkman up and layed back down. Emily tried to get herself to sleep, but she couldn't. Not with the constant fear of the Iranians bursting through the door and taking her. She also kept thinking about her mother and if she was safe. She quite often found herself lingering on thoughts of her detail, Hotch, and where he was. If he still was alive. Emily soon found herself rooted to her seat when she heard the door being opened. She scooted farther in the wall, and almost didn't breathe. Emily listened as whoever was now in the basement took slow, deliberate steps down the stairs. She watched at the figure, dressed in black, walked over to her. Emily found herself paralyzed, unable to move, her body frozen with fear.

Emily swallowed thickly as she heard a second pair of feet make their way down the stairs. She listened as she heard them talk.

"Has anyone checked down here?" she heard a voice say in Farsi. Shit. Emily realized there wasn't a way out.

"I don't think anybody has been down here for ages." the other replied. Emily heard a flash light click on and stilled.

"Why would the ambassador's daughter be down here?" The first voice asked, the beam moving around the room.

"I don't know, but someone's been here. There's an open can of food and used blankets." the man's voice answered, his accent thick.

Emily's breath caught in her throat when she heard this. They were looking for _her_. Not just anyone. _Her._ She shuddered when she thought of why. To get to her mother? To negotiate? To kill and make an example? She backed farther into the corner than she thought was possible, pulling her knees tight to her chest.

"I don't think she's here." the second voice said, his feet shuffling in a circle.

"Maybe.." the second voice replied, drawing out the last syllable as his flashlight illuminated something brown against the blankets in the corner. Emily's boot.

The people walked closer to where Emily was and she stilled. Her brain raced, her fight or flight responses kicking in. Emily's flight side one. She quickly jumped up and ran to the stairs.

"Hey!" the voices yelled.

"There she goes! Get her!" they screamed.

Emily ran quickly down the hall, trying to find a way out. She ran to the stairwell and pulled on the door. Locked.

"Help!" she screamed, but no one heard her.

Emily began to run down the hall again, turning the corner, trying to get to the next access point to the stairwell. Emily didn't make it far, she felt two arms wrap around her waist and pull her back. She tried to kick her captor and they lifted her off the ground.

"Got ya." a thickly accented Farsi voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"HmmmmMmmm." he said "Ali! Help." he commanded, forcing Emily's arms down to her sides and holding her firmly against him. Emily tried to squirm, but was met with an iron grip.

"Stop fighting me, bitch." the man holding her whispered harshly, his hand clamped on her mouth.

His hand was lifted only long enough for Ali to gag her and tie a blind fold around her eyes. She felt them roughly tie her wrists behind her back and push her forward.

"Let's go pay mommy a visit?" Ali taunted, holding one of Emily's arms, his partner holding the other.

They walked Emily to the stairs and got her back to the ground level. Emily felt the wind from outside, and heard the door open. The two men escorted Emily outside the Embassy, no doubt to the building that held her mother's office. Hope fluttered within her. The floor below her mother's office was under construction, she could get out and hide if she had the chance. _If_ being the key word there. Emily heard wild cheers as she was paraded across the front lawn of the embassy. The protesters screaming and cheering happily that they had found the ambassador's daughter. Another hostage to use towards their cause. 'If I stay alive.' Emily thought bitterly. They dragged her into what she guessed was her mother's building. She felt them navigate her through the building, hearing random voices, but her brain was to jumbled to translate.

Emily had never felt this afraid before. Ever. The past events kept playing over and over in her head. Getting woken up, dragged to the basement, hiding, being discovered, Hotch leaving...Hotch! She felt anger rise again in her stomach. He was supposed to protect her. To keep her safe. To prevent this. But, Emily's anger melted away quickly when she realized how he'd react when he got back and she was gone. Emily remembered how worked up he got that moment in the elevator. How worried, and now, here she was, actually with the people they feared most, walking into the unknown. Alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Aaron Hotchner was now terrified. Terrified. He had left Emily to go see if her mother was indeed in hiding, hoping that would comfort the young woman, but he didn't find the results he was looking for. What he did find, was two dead guards, and a missing Elizabeth Prentiss. They had found her mother, and now they were looking for Emily. When he heard the cheers on the front lawn, something within him told him the worst had happened, but he attributed it to the fact they had the ambassador, not her daughter. So now, he was sprinting back to the Living quarters through the basement, already having dodged two guards. His stomach dropped like a broken elevator when he saw the door to Emily's hiding spot open. He ran over to the basement opening and drew his weapon. He walked slowly down the stairs, trying to calm his breathing. Maybe they had left and not shut it, maybe she was still here.

"Emily?" he called out, pausing.

"Emily?" he asked again. Nothing.

He paused for a moment, hoping, begging, pleading with God that she'd answer. But she didn't. He walked around the area and found nothing. No trace of Emily. They had her. He failed to protect her. She was gone. How could he do this? Why'd he leave? He should've listened to her, he should've stayed! He imagined how scared she must be right then, alone with them. If only he hadn't left, if only he'd have stayed. She'd still be there. But, those are the saddest two words to exist, and Aaron Hotchner just learned it. If only...

After he was done kicking himself, he walked back outside and into the halls. He put himself in agent mode and thought. Where would they take her? Where should he start to look? He thought about her room, but quickly deemed that stupid. The security station! he thought. No, it had been destroyed in the initial fights. Her mother's office...now _that_ made sense. At least, that's where he'd take her if it was him. He decided that's where he would head.

Hotch ran back outside, the back way, hugging the ivy clad walls, going unnoticed. He snuck in the back of Elizabeth Prentiss's building and grabbed the elevator. He pushed in 6, figuring the construction floor would be easiest to navigate to the stairwell, not wanting to alert anyone with the elevator bing. He slowly stepped off the elevator and cleared each cubicle and metal room frame. He walked over to the stair access door and pulled. Locked. Shit. He found the other one to be locked too. He huffed and decided he'd just wait a couple more hours until everyone was asleep and hope he didn't wake them up. It was risky, sure, but he couldn't wait much longer for fear of what Emily would have to go through. He went back over to the elevator and groaned. He kicked the wall and ran his hand through his hair. The elevator had been shut off. He was stuck here.

* * *

Emily heard the chatter increase as she was taken down yet another hallway. She counted the turns, she was almost there. She heard Ali and the other man talking, but she didn't try and translate, she was too busy trying not to cry. Emily heard a door open, and was pushed in roughly. Someone yanked off the blindfold, as well as the gag, and she found herself staring into the eyes of her mother.

"Hi, mom." Emily choked out.

Elizabeth Prentiss stood quickly, only too be pushed back down. "Get your fucking hand off me, that's my daughter and I'll be damned if you don't let me see her!" Elizabeth yelled at the guard.

He looked over to a man Emily just noticed in the corner, who nodded. Elizabeth walked over to Emily and pulled her against her.

"I'm so sorry mom." Emily cried, as her tears soaked her mother's shoulder and she pulled her closer.

"Oh no, sweetie, don't be sorry. I should've listened to you." Elizabeth said, holding back the tears her daughter couldn't.

"I love you. I really do." Emily sobbed, her mother's hand resting on her neck.

"I know you do, sweetie. I love you too." Elizabeth replied, kissing her daughter's head. "Don't let these bastards get the best of you, ok? Stay strong." her mother said, slipping into French so the guards couldn't understand.

"I will mother." Emily replied, also in French, wiping her tears.

At this point the guards were angry and broke the two apart.

"Hey! No more doing that!" Ali shouted at the two in Farsi, both nodded.

"Gautam, bring the young one here." the man in the corner commanded.

Ali stepped aside, as his partner tugged Emily over to the man.

"She's a tough one, Kumari." Gautam said, letting go of Emily.

"It's okay, I like the fight. They're always more fun to break." Kumari said, smirking at Emily.

"Perhaps I could join the fun too, Kumari!" Gautam snickered, speaking in Arabic, thinking the two women couldn't understand him.

He was right, but only half. Elizabeth didn't learn Arabic, but Emily had. Emily shivered. She turned to him in disgust.

"Hey, asshole, I can understand you." she said, speaking in flawless Arabic.

She turned back to face Kumari, who, like Gautam, was staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths. Kumari recovered first, smacking her in the face.

"You'll learn to respect me, whore." he said, his hand squeezing her neck. He let go and Emily fell to the ground, coughing.

Kumari grabbed her arm and yanked her up to stand again. He turned her so her back was against the wall and smiled. He grabbed a fistful of her dark hair and pulled her head towards him. leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I'll enjoy making you scream in all your languages." he said, smiling as Emily tensed up. He threw her to the ground and smiled wider as he saw tears roll down Elizabeth's cheeks as she was restrained, unable to help her daughter.

"Take them down to where we found the Ambassador." Kumari said, motioning to the false back bookshelf that was open.

Ali took Elizabeth, who went without resisting, looking back at Emily, who was laying on the floor still, Kumari's foot resting on her back. Kumari lifted up his foot as Gautam walked over to him.

"I want _this one_ chained." Kumari said, pulling Emily to her feet by her hair. Emily grunted in pain as Gautam grabbed her in a vice grip and turned her to Kumari.

He cupped Emily's cheek in his hand, grabbing her neck again when she tried to turn away.

"I'll see _you_ in the morning." he said in Arabic, before releasing her and nodding to Gautam.

Gautam proceeded to take Emily into the same room her mother had went into moments ago. He dragged Emily down the stairs into a small room, which connected to a smaller room, where her mother was. Gautam pulled her over to the wall and slammed her up against it.

"We're going to have to take this off Emily..." he smiled, his hand slipping under the seam of her sweatshirt. "Let's hope you're wearing something underneath it." he smiled sickly. "Or not."

Emily began to try and get away, but he just forced her back up against the wall.

"Emily!" her mother said loudly. "You're wearing a shirt under it, right?" her mother asked, going into french.

"Yes!" Emily said, trying to talk as the man's forearm dug into her neck to keep her from moving.

"Then, stop struggling. It'll make it easier." her mother pleaded.

"I thought you said don't give them the satisfaction?" Emily asked, nearly out of breath.

"Please. I can't watch them keep hurting you." Elizabeth cried.

At this, Emily stopped struggling, the fact her mother said that, causing her to stop. She stared into her mother's eyes as Gautam greedily took her sweatshirt off, sighing when he saw the two tank tops she was wearing.

"What a shame." he said, looking up and down Emily's body.

He forced her down to the mattress behind her, and dragged her to the top, chaining one arm to the wall, and one of her ankles.

"Sleep tight." he snickered, before leaving the room and slamming the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Emily turned her head into her arm and let more tears fall. She felt horrible, she shoud've tried harder to run. To fight. It was as if her mother could read her mind.

"Emily Prentiss, don't you dare blame yourself. You hear me?" Elizabeth said forcefully.

Emily, turned so she was on her back and faced her mother.

"Mom, I could've fought harder, I should've run faster, to find a better hiding place." Emily cried.

"Emily! Listen, it wasn't your fault I got caught, or yours. They would've found a way eventually. But now, that we're here, you have to be strong, okay?" Elizabeth said, walking over to her daughter, her hand resting on Emily's head. "Go to sleep, sweetie. Rest." her mother said, stroking Emily's hair.

Elizabeth felt Emily nod and leaned up against the wall next to Emily's mattress. She continued to stroke Emily's hair, and listen to her breathing. She could only hope it would turn out good. Her thoughts found their way to Agent Hotchner. If he wasn't with Emily, and the guards hadn't mentioned him, they had assumed Emily had hid herself, then that meant he was still out there. She had no doubt in her mind, Hotch would come for Emily. It was just a matter of when, and what condition Emily would be in when he got to her.

Neither woman slept fitfully that night, Elizabeth not at all. She had stayed up almost all night watching Emily, keeping a hand on her head. It felt as if she was protecting her, even though Elizabeth knew she had no power to. At about eight in the morning, Gautam came into the room for Emily, who was still sleeping. He walked over to Emily, knelt down, and stopped.

"She's still sleeping?" he asked, turning to Elizabeth.

"Clearly. She hasn't slept in days." Elizabeth answered, scowling at him, as he nudged her away from Emily.

"I'll wake her up." Gautam said, raising his hand to hit the sleeping woman.

"Please! Let me wake her up!" Elizabeth begged. "Don't hurt her again."

"Ha. Okay, Ambassador. You'll be begging us to only slap her when we're done today." he laughed, stepping back so Elizabeth could get to Emily.

Emily slowly put her hand on Emily's shoulder and shook her lightly. Emily stirred but didn't move.

"Emily, sweetie, I need you to get up, okay?" Emily's mother said, shaking her daughter's shoulder.

"Okay, mom." Emily mumbled, starting to stretch, but unable to due to the chains around her wrist and ankle. Emily looked at her mother as tears sprung to her eyes. "It wasn't just a nightmare?" she whispered sadly.

"No, baby. It wasn't." Elizabeth whispered back, her hand on Emily's cheek. "They need you now though, I can't do anything. I'm so sorry."

"Okay. I love you, mom." Emily said, turning to Gautam, who was staring at her.

He knelt down to Emily and undid her chains. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet. He put Emily's arms behind her back and tied them there, before forcefully taking her towards the door.

"Let's go have some fun." he sneered.

Emily swallowed and nodded. She had to do this. Emily squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light of her mother's office, after being in the basement all night. She re-adjusted herself, ready to face what pain was undoubtedly about to come. Gautam hauled her up to the room, where Kumari and Ali stood.

"Good morning, Emily." Kumari said, watching as she stared at him, not saying anything.

Gautam roughly shook her and whispered in her ear, "A man has said good morning, what do you say back?"

"Go to Hell." Emily spat.

Gautam prepared to do something to her, and Kumari held up a hand.

"I see she has not changed over night. Perhaps we shall teach her to respect us today?" he smiled, looking at Emily.

"I like that idea." Ali said, opening the door.

"Let's take her to the basement. I trust it is set up?" Kumari asked, looking to Gautam.

"It is." he replied.

"Then let's go. Come along Emily." Kumari smiled, grabbing her arm, as Gautam let her go.


	10. Chapter 10

So farther along the line I need help with some plot details and such, so if you'd be interested in helping with that in the future please leave a review or PM me. Thank you muchly, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The three men took Emily down the hall and into the stairwell. She was shoved down the stairs, until they reached the floor beneath them. They paused for a second to blindfold Emily, and then resumed their pace down the stairs.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, Hotch had seen the movement and the stairwell, and stilled. He watched as two Iranians came down, and then another, holding what he presumed to be a hostage. But he was wrong. He soon recognized the hostage's shirt, her jeans, her hair, her all around figure. It was Emily. He wanted to run into the stairwell and kill all of them for even touching her, but the door was locked. He had no way down. How the hell was he supposed to get to her? Hotch sat back down, and watched the stairwell, his brain on overdrive, trying to think of a way to get to the younger brunette.

* * *

Emily focused on walking as the men steered her around the embassy. She knew they never went outside, or she would've felt it. She had counted the stairs she had gone down, and came to the idea that she was on the ground level. She had been counting in her head, they had been walking for about five minutes. Emily racked her brain. Where could they be taking her? They had said the basement, but which one, and where? She also couldn't deny the fear that had rooted itself deep in her stomach.

Eventually she felt cool air hit her face and a heavy door slam shut. The blindfold was ripped off her eyes, and she found herself in a dark room with a mat in the corner, water cooler, various ropes, knives, and other things.

"You like what you see, Emily?" Kumari asked, smiling at her.

Emily shook her head and shuddered.

"We'll start out slow for you, ok? I wouldn't want to hurt that pretty face of your too much, now would I?" he asked, walking Emily over to the mat in the corner.

He shoved her down on the mat and held her arms above her head. Emily immediately began to writhe beneath him.

"Get the fuck off of me!" she yelled.

Kumari hit her in the cheek, sending her head flying to the left. Emily cried out in pain as she felt the sting from his smack.

"Gautam, come hold her arms down. Ali, get the water."

"Gladly." Gautam smiled, as Ali went to get water.

Gautam firmly held Emily's arms above her head and looked into her dark eyes.

"Wh-what are you guys doing?" Emily asked softly.

"You'll see, just a little way for you to learn to keep your moth shut." Gautam answered.

Kumari held a towel over Emily's face, casuing her to try and buck him off of her. He dug his knees into her thighs, forcing her to be still as Ali brought a bucket of water over to them. Kumari took it out of his hands and poured some on Emily's face. She immediately began to cough, trying to catch her breath as the water went into her mouth and nose. She struggled some more, but was only met with another wave of water. She caught her breath once and managed to scream, but Kumari put his forearm on her now wet throat and pushed, causing her to choke as they poured more water on her.

"Please," she panted, "stop."

Gautam and Kumari smiled and laughed as Ali poured another gush of water on her. She choked again and stopped struggling. They took the towel off of her face and watched as she struggled to catch her breath, her chest heaving.

"Please..." she begged.

"She's beautiful, Kumari." Ali commented. "She will be much fun."

Kumari nodded, "Yes, she will, but not today. Today is about learning her place." he finished, grabbing Emily's wet, bare arms, and pulling her back to his chest. He brushed her hair out of her face and leaned in by her ear.

"Have you learned your lesson, Emily?" Kumari asked.

Every part of Emily's body was screaming for her to say yes, but her stubborn mind forced her mouth to cooperate. "You'll never have my respect. I don't respect people like you, you are a pathetic excuse for a man." she said furiously.

Kumari laughed as well as the other two men. "I see she still needs more convincing. Very well." Kumari said, roughly hauling Emily to her feet. "Let's try something else. You _will_ learn your place. Below me. Less than dirt." he said, dragging her away from the mat.

Emily grunted as Kumari dragged her across the room. He attached two chains to the ceiling and pulled her over to them. Ali and Gautam each chained one of her arms above her, and each of her ankles to a chain on the ground. She was effectively held in place by the chains. Kumari nodded to Gautam, who walked over to a table and picked something up. Emily closed her eyes when she saw it was a roll of fishing line.

'Concentrate on your breathing.' she thought, watching as he walked behind her.

"Emily, relax." he cooed, stroking her waist as she tensed up.

"Easy for you to say." she spat back.

Emily gasped as his grip turned rough and she soon found the fishing line around her neck. Gautam pulled back, and she felt the wire dig into her neck, cutting off her breathing. She tried to move to get air, but was held in place by the chains.

"Stay still, Emily. It'll make it easier." Kumari said, watching from across the room.

Gautam counted to sixty before letting go of the wire. Emily immediately began to cough and gasp. She hung her head as she tried to breathe evenly.

"Why do you keep fucking choking me?!" Emily yelled. Tears were falling down her cheeks as she stood there, unable to do anything.

"So you'll learn that when you can breathe, you'll use your voice to respect me." Kumari said, gripping her neck.

Emily immediately tried to move away, but he held her in place. His fingers ran over the thin, red line that now ran across the length of Emily's neck.

"So sad to leave a mark on someone so beautiful." Kumari said softly, stroking Emily's neck with his thumb.

"Then why did you do it?" Emily questioned, eyeing him with a glare.

"Because," he said through gritted teeth, his hand wrapping tight around her neck, "_You_ can't keep your mouth _shut._"

"Kind of like you can't keep your filthy hands off me!" Emily retorted, not realizing her mistake before she said it.

She saw Kumari snap in his eyes before she felt his actions. He landed a firm punch to her stomach, knocking the wind out of an already nearly breathless Emily. Kumari then brought his knee up to her abdomen again, reveling at the pained coughs it produced. He smiled as Emily's body tried to bend over, but couldn't.

"You. Just. Don't. Learn. Do you?" Kumari said, staring at the young brunette.

"Hey, Kumari, how about we let her mother see her like this and give her something else tomorrow?" Gautam smiled, his eyes twinkling maliciously.

"That's a good idea. How's that saying go? Kill two bird with one stone?" Kumari replied.

"Exactly," Gautam smiled, "But I think we'll keep this bird alive a little longer." He said, brushing Emily's hair behind her ear.

Ali walked to the table and brought back a needle filled with clear liquid. Emily tried to move anyway she could to get away from the needle, scared of what they would do when she was out. Soon she was held in place by the chains, as well as Ali and Kumari, as Gautam injected the needle into her slim arm. Emily gasped at the intrusion and immediately felt weak. She tried to protest as they undid her chains and Ali lifted her onto his shoulder, but it was no use. Emily gave in to the darkness before she even left that basement.

The men lifted the light brunette on to Ali's shoulder, and they set off to the Ambassador's office. They easily maneuvered back, not once having to move Emily. They got into the stairwell and passed the floor under construction. The men stopped momentarily to adjust Emily. Hotch watched as they did so, his blood boiling at the sight of her. What had they done to knock her out? What had happened in the at least three hours she had been gone? He vowed then to make them pay. Hard.


	11. Chapter 11

When they reached the Ambassador's office, after having been through the hallway of soldiers who cheered at the sight of the unconscious prisoner, they opened the door to where they kept the two women. Ali easily made it down the stairs to where Elizabeth was, and roughly set Emily down on the mattress she had been on the previous night. Gautam held Elizabeth back as she tried to get to her daughter.

"All in good time, Ambassador." Gautam said, holding the Ambassador.

"You monsters! What did you do to her!?" Elizabeth screamed, "What did you do?" she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. She covered her mouth to quiet her sobs as Ali re-chained Emily's ankle, leaving her arm un-chained.

"She'll be awake in an hour or two." Kumari said, walking down the stairs. "We'll be back." he said, gesturing to his men. They all three turned and went back upstairs.

Elizabeth heard the lock click into place and immediately crawled over to Emily. Elizabeth let more tears fall as she gently traced the red line that ran across Emily's neck. She lifted up Emily's damp tank top and cami, and clenched her fists. She saw the bruise that was now forming on Emily's stomach. It was indeed about the shape of a fist, and Elizabeth wanted to cut the men's hands off right then. Elizabeth ran her hands over Emily's stomach. The skin there was cold and clammy. She refused to think about what they could've done to her.

She pulled Emily's shirt back down and moved her gaze to Emily's face. She could see the hand print on Emily's cheek, and the dried tears still on her cheeks. Elizabeth examined her daughter's arms and found the needle mark on Emily's left arm. Elizabeth got up and walked over to where she had been sitting, and picked up Emily's sweatshirt. She felt more tears come to her eyes as she gazed at the Yale emblem. She should've let Emily stay. She shouldn't have let her come. Elizabeth shook her head and walked back over to her daughter.

She slowly sat Emily up, propping her daughter up against her chest, Elizabeth managed to get Emily's sweatshirt over the wet tank top she was wearing. Elizabeth carefully pulled Emily's wet hair out of the hood, and ran her fingers through it. She set Emily's head softly back on the small pillow and scooted down to Emily's feet. She slid off Emily's boots and felt her feet. They were dry. Elizabeth opted to keep the girl's socks on to keep her warm. She pulled Emily's black ankle socks a little farther up, as they were about to fall off. Elizabeth then moved herself to where she was the night before. She slid Emily's hand into her own, and closed her eyes, hoping they could escape from this in their dreams.

Elizabeth woke up a few hours later to Emily stirring. She watched as Emily slowly opened her eyes and then quickly recoiled from her mother, tucking her hand into her chest. Elizabeth felt her heart break as she watched Emily's eyes go from fear to pain, to sadness in all of ten seconds.

"I-I-I'm sorry mom. I didn't realize it was you." Emily apologized, reaching her hand back out as she sat up.

"Don't be sorry Emily. I don't blame you." Elizabeth said, pulling Emily into her chest.

Elizabeth felt her shoulder getting wet, and realized Emily was crying.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry." Elizabeth said, trying to comfort her daughter, who was sobbing in her arms.

"I wanna go home." Emily cried. "I want to be away from these men."

"I know. I know you do, sweetie. We have to wait, we have to be strong." Elizabeth replied, squeezing Emily. "Let it out here, okay? Don't hold it in, Em. It'll make it worse. I know I haven't always been there for you. I've been really bad about that, but I love you. More than you possibly know, Emily. It kills me every time they touch you, I'd take your place in a heartbeat. I'm here for you, as long as this takes, and I swear, I'll do anything I can to protect you. I love you Emily. So much." Elizabeth confessed, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I know you do. I know." Emily said, leaning back and looking at her mother. "We can do this."

"Emily, what happened in the basement? If you don't mind me asking." Elizabeth asked.

"I'll tell you, I will, but can I sleep for a little bit longer?" Emily questioned, picking her nails and looking at her mother.

"Of course. I'll be here, okay?" Elizabeth answered, running her hand through Emily's hair as she turned on her side to face her mother.

Emily nodded, "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie." Elizabeth said back, her hand resting on her daughter's head, watching as she closed her eyes and was at peace for once in the past two days.

Emily woke up a few hours later to find her mother still asleep. Emily sat up and stared at the wall. What was to come of them? How long would they be here? Emily closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. What would come next? Her question was soon answered as the door burst open and in came the three men.

"Come on, Emily. We want to demonstrate something." Kumari said, while Gautam undid her ankle and dragged her to her feet. Ali woke her mother and the two were transported up the stairs.

Emily let out a strangled gasp as the light hit her face and so did the sounds of protestors. Emily was dragged down the stairs to the ground floor and outside. Her eyes widened as she saw the huge crowd of protestors in the embassy yard. She didn't resist as she was taken to a makeshift stage in the middle where everyone could see her and her mother. Emily heard Elizabeth scream as two random soldiers grabbed her and held her back while two more grabbed Emily, hit her in the back of the knees, and forced her to the ground. Emily watched as the three men she knew walked to the front of the stage

"Welcome our guests, the ambassador, and her daughter." Kumari said, looking into the sea of people.

He was met with a cheer.

"Let us show the ambassador how we suffered under the hands of the Shah." he yelled, picking up a lit candle.

He walked over to Emily, who was now forced on her back, the two men holding her, cutting off her tank top, leaving Emily bare to the crowd, besides her bra and jeans. Kumari smiled as tears streamed down both Emily and Elizabeth's faces.

"Let the ambassador know how we felt to see our children suffer!" Kumari cried, the crowd cheering him on.

Kumari walked over to Emily, who was trying everything she could to get away, her whole body moving and writhing. He dripped the hot wax on Emily's stomach, watching as the skin around it immediately blistered. The crowd cheered as Emily screamed.

"Please! Stop!" Elizabeth shouted, her cries muffled.

"Did America stop when we asked for aid?" Kumari yelled. "No! They took the monster in!"

Kumari kept drizzling the wax on Emily's stomach, her screams feeding the crowd. He nodded to Gautam who pulled out a knife. He walked over to Emily and knelt down beside her.

"Don't cry." he cooed in mock sympathy.

Gautam trailed the knife down her cheek and neck, pushing harder as he got to her hips, drawing thin lines of blood. He moved to her arms and pushed harder on each, drawing blood from the cuts on her arms. He held up the knife, which was now stained in Emily's blood, and laughed as he tossed it at Elizabeth. The crowd kept cheering, loving every minute of pain for the two Americans there. Kumari grabbed Emily and pulled her up in front of him. He forced her to the front of the stage, even though she could barely stand. He wrapped a blindfold around her eyes and held up his gun to her forehead.

"Say goodbye, Emily." Kumari whispered in her ear, as he felt her tense up, tears running down her face harder than ever.

Kumari stared out at the crowd and laughed. Kumari placed his finger on the trigger, and pulled Emily closer to him and pulled it.


	12. Chapter 12

Emily cried more as she heard the empty chamber click. The gun hadn't been loaded. The crowd cheered at the mock execution that just took place, as Emily doubled over. Kumari pulled her up by her hair and leaned in by her neck.

"Have you learned your place yet?" he asked.

"Fuck. You." Emily responded, her heel coming up to kick him between the legs. He bent over, his grip on Emily loosening.

Emily took the opportunity of confusion to run to her mother, who was tied to a pole on stage. In one swift movement, she undid the knot and dragged her mother off the stage, both sprinting towards the embassy's front building. Gautam ran to Kumari, bending over.

"Can I keep her for the night?" he questioned, jumping off the stage.

"Teach her and her mother a lesson, Gautam! Don't bring them back until they've learned!" he screamed as Gautam raced after the two women, who were almost to the Ambassador's building.

Emily's mind raced as she dragged her mother into her building.

"Emily! Where are we going?!" her mother screamed.

"I don't know! Anywhere!" Emily yelled back, coming to a stop outside the stairwell.

Emily screamed in frustration as she realized they had locked the door with a lock that no doubt only Kumari and Gautam held the key to. She looked around frantically and picked up the fire extinguisher before banging it down on the lock, laughing when is fell off. Emily was hysterical. She saw the front doors vibrate, telling her Gautam was on their heels.

"Go!" Emily screamed, pushing her mother in. "Up!" Emily yelled, her hand resting on Elizabeth.

The two women ran up the stairs, trying to get to the top floor, anywhere to put distance between them and the men. They made it to the floor under construction when Emily felt someone grab her ankle. She fell down, her forearms taking the fall. Elizabeth immediately stopped.

"Emily!" She yelled, her hand reaching out.

Emily shook her head and turned on her back, kicking Gautam. "Go! Hide!" she yelled back, looking at her mother. "Please. For me. Go." She said calmly, the total opposite of how she felt.

Elizabeth nodded and continued going, the quicker she hid, the sooner she could help Emily, and...Elizabeth didn't know what to think, but she listened to her daughter.

Gautam grabbed Emily's foot and pulled her down to him.

"I've got you now. And you're gonna pay." he said, pulling Emily to his chest.

He let go of her with one hand and grabbed her by her hair. He dragged her harshly into the door in front of them. Emily felt cool air hit her from the non-insulated floor. She tried to kick, scratch, and bite the man holding her in any way she could, but her adrenaline rush was fading, and fast. He dragged her into one of the metal framed rooms, and shoved her to the floor.

"I'm going to show you what women are good for." Gautam sneered.

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Emily to one of the steel beams that framed the room. His hands then moved to the waistline of her jeans, undoing the button.

"Please don't." Emily pleaded, watching him undress her.

"You've been a naughty girl," he replied, "you deserve it." he finished, wrapping his hand around her throat, as he sucked on her neck.

He leaned back and finished pulling Emily's jeans off, along with her boots. He slowly climbed back up Emily and bit her collarbone, leaving a mark there. He sat up, and slid his own pants off, before straddling the struggling brunette. He leaned back over her and forced his mouth on hers as she tried to buck him off. Emily closed her eyes as he buried his face in her hair before roughly gripping her hips.

"Are you ready, Emily?" he smiled, one hand moving to her underwear.

"Not going to happen." a male voice boomed out.

Emily's eyes shot open as she watched Gautam's eyes widen. Hotch quickly tackled the man, and got on top of him. He began to punch his face repeatedly, images of Emily's scared face as the man underneath him got on top of her fueling his anger.

"You never should've touched her." Hotch screamed in his face, landing another blow.

"She liked it." Gautam sneered, blood running out of his nose.

This pushed Hotch's anger on even more as he drew his glock and aimed it at Gautam's head.

"I hope you burn in Hell." he said, before firing one shot into the man's skull.


	13. Chapter 13

Hotch immediately searched Gautam's pockets for the keys and ran over to Emily. He undid her handcuffs and easily picked up the slim brunette, who immediately buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his strong neck. Emily closed her eyes, realizing how tired she was. Of course, she wanted to stay awake, but here, in his arms, she felt safe. Emily was asleep before he left the floor, the past three days catching up to her in an instant.

Hotch debated looking for the ambassador, but he couldn't. He looked down to the sleeping woman in his arms and made a final choice. He couldn't leave her again. Not after this time. No, she was staying with him. Like dust to glue, peanut butter to jelly. He pulled her closer to him and walked across the floor to the stairwell. It was still locked. He dug in his pocket and found Gautam's keys. One of them went into the stairwell lock, and he opened the door, thankful for a stroke of much needed luck. Hotch walked down the stairs, and kept going until he got to the basement.

The agent pushed open the door with his foot, and turned Emily to fit through the doorway. He carried her down the hallway, his route implanted in his mind. He decided to take Emily back up to her room, the floor it was on had only the elevator and stairwell to get in. He could barricade the door, and he'd think about the elevator later. He made it through the basement corridors easily, it was what he was hearing that was challenging. He heard the still angry crowd outside, no doubt where Emily had escaped from. He re-adjusted her in his arms, her head still in his chest. He gently set her on the ground next to the stairs to the Living Quarters, and propped her up against the wall while he opened the door. He easily lifted her up again and carried her the eight flights of stairs to her floor, opening the door with his foot again and walking down the hall. He carefully carried her into her room and set her on the bed, where she immediately opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry I woke you." Hotch apologized, "I thought you were out."

"I didn't feel your arms and I got scared." she admitted, pulling her knees back to her chest, tears forming in her eyes.

Hotch walked to her door and locked it. He turned around quickly when he heard her first sob. He walked over to Emily, who was sobbing quietly into her knees, which were still bare. He pulled her into his chest without a second thought, and felt her bare flesh, making him realize her top was still gone too. His logic told him to let go of her, this wasn't appropriate, but his heart told his brain to fuck off. He pulled her into his lap as she continued to cry, the nightmare she had just been in, over.

"You're safe now, Em. I've got you." Hotch said, running his hands through her hair.

"I was so scared." she cried into his shirt.

"I know you were. I am**_so_** sorry I left you."

"What if you didn't come when you did?" she said, ignoring his apology. "What if he had done it and taken me back?"

"I don't know Emily, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself, that's for sure. I'm having trouble forgiving myself now." Hotch replied, looking down at Emily.

"It's okay. I'm here with you now, and that's what's important, right?"

"Yes, it is." he said, standing up, grasping Emily's hand and pulling her with him.

"Where are we going?" Emily asked, looking at Hotch.

"To get you patched up. Clean your cuts, treat burns, you need to heal." he replied, opening the bathroom door.

"Thanks, Dr. Hotchner." she said, smiling at him.

"You're cute. Let's go." he replied, smiling as well.

"Please be careful though," Emily said, "the wax burned, bad." she finished, her gaze shifting to her stomach.

"I wouldn't do it any other way." Hotch told her, sitting her on the edge of the tub.

Hotch turned to the sink and turned on the cold water. He grabbed a washcloth out of the cabinet and held it under the cold water until it was wet. He turned back to Emily, who was picking at her nails. He reached his hand down and covered hers with it.

"Stop, that's not good for your nails." he commented.

"Okay." Emily said, stopping what she was doing.

"Emily, could you please sit up straight for me? I'm going to get this wax off of your stomach." he asked, watching as she sat up and looked at him.

He knelt down in front of the brunette and moved her arms to her sides. He reached for her stomach with the washcloth, and wasn't surprised when she immediately flinched away from him.

"I'm sorry, Hotch. I just..." she trailed off, searching his eyes for understanding.

"It's okay. Take your time. I won't hurt you. I promise." he said, staring back into her eyes.

"I know you won't." she said, reaching out and taking his hand. "I'm ready."

He took the cold cloth and held it on her stomach. Emily gasped at the contact from the freezing cloth and clenched her fists. Hotch apologized and she shook her head and smiled. After a few minutes he took the cloth off of her and slowly peeled each trail of wax off of her pale torso. He felt anger boil in his chest at the red burns that were underneath, spreading over her stomach. He put more water on the cloth and told her to hold it there while he got something. He left the bathroom and walked down the hallway. Sure, it was risky, but he needed the first aid kit. He went ten feet down and opened the supply closet. He grabbed medical kits, first aid supplies, canned food, water, a few blankets, and some batteries. He quickly walked back to Emily's room and locked the door. Hotch set everything but the first aid on her bed and went back into the bathroom.

Emily was gazing at the wall, unmoving, and Hotch knew what was going on. He looked into her face, and just like he suspected, her eyes were glazed over. Her hand was clenched around the washcloth and her other hand was fisted as well. He set the items on the counter and looked back to Emily. He gently took ahold of her shoulders and shook her lightly. She jumped under his touch and almost hit him, but he caught her wrist.

"I'm so-" she began, but Hotch cut her off with a hug.

"It's fine. I'm almost done, and then you can lay down and get some r_eal_ sleep, okay?" Emily nodded and removed her hands from his and put them back at her sides.

Hotch put some burn cream on gauze and taped it to her stomach, his fingers ghosting over the soft flesh, now burnt. He cleaned her various cuts and scrapes, putting band-aids on as he went. When he was confident she was fixed up, he picked her up again in his arms and took her back to her room. Emily sat up and looked around her room for her sweat pants and tee shirt, after she too realized her state of dress, or lack there of.

"Hotch, could you get me my sweats and that t-shirt?" she asked quietly, pointing to the items on the floor.

He quickly picked them up and handed them to her. Emily took the clothes from him and slipped her pants on, followed by her t-shirt. Emily watched as Hotch cleaned off her bed for her and peeled back the blankets, before motioning her into it. She climbed into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chest.

"Go to sleep, Em." Hotch said, walking out of the bathroom after cleaning up.

"You'll stay with me, right? No leaving?" she asked, looking at him.

Hotch walked by the door and gazed back at her. "I'm staying. Right here." he confirmed, standing up and walking towards her.

"Promise?" she asked.

Memories of what happened last time this exchange happened and he felt tears start to form. "I swear." he said, taking her hand in his as he sat next to her bed.

"Okay. Thanks, Aaron." she said, before turning in her bed.

He nodded and stared at the door, before the conversation caught up to him. She had called him Aaron. He smiled, happiness spreading through his chest. _Aaron_.


	14. Chapter 14

No surprise to Hotch, he was waken up in the night by Emily's soft whimpers. He stood up and walked over to her bed. He saw a tear stain on her cheek and he could tell she was drenched in sweat. He stared at her for a moment, debating wether or not to wake her up.

"No. Please. Get off." she pleaded sleepily, writhing under the covers.

That made his decision easy and he gently shook her shoulder.

"Emily. Em, wake up." he said softly, shaking her shoulder again.

Emily's eyes burst open immediately and she quickly backed away from Hotch. He looked at her staring back at him, the realization it was just a dream hitting her. He slowly reached a hand out, which the young woman accept and allowed him to pull her to his chest. He could feel her sweat through her shirt and sighed. He felt bad for the poor girl, she'd been through hell the past two days, he felt guilt rush to his stomach, because of him. He slowly picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, without much hesitation on her part. He set her on the toilet and walked over to the tub. He turned the warm water on softly, so it wouldn't be too loud and waited for it to fill up.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hotch asked, looking to Emily.

"Talk about what?" she responded, picking her already short nails.

"Emily, you know what. What happend over the past three days." he said, staring into her brown eyes.

"They roughed me up a bit. End of story." she told him, looking at the floor.

He sat down in front of her and slowly lifted her chin to look at him.

"Emily, there's burns and bruises on your stomach, cuts on your arms, a _nasty_ bruise around your neck. Not to mention the fact that you were nearly raped, and a hickey on your neck to prove it. That's more than just roughed up." Hotch said, feeling instantly guilty.

"I know, I know, I know, I'm sorry." she sobbed, tears coming to her eyes.

Hotch pulled her forward and tucked the slight brunette into his arms, holding her tightly. He hated her crying. Her laughter was one of the best things he'd ever heard, but her soft sobs were killing him. He layed a kiss to the crown of her head and whispered to her.

"It's okay, Em. I've got you now. I'm getting you out. I promise."

He felt her nod against his chest and sniffle once more before rubbing her eyes with her sleeves and looking up at him.

"I believe you. I trust you." Emily said. "Hotch? I need to ask you something, but you are _not_ allowed to make fun or laugh, okay?" she said seriously.

"Ask away, Emily." he said, leaning back to look in her eyes.

"You see, I am _really_ hungry." she paused, "I was wondering if you had any food?"

"Why would I think that is funny?" he asked.

"I dunno. 'Cause I think it sounds kinda funny." Emily responded, twiddling her thumbs.

"Well, when is the last time you ate?" he questioned, "and why do you think it sounds funny?"

"I guess a couple days ago, and it just sounded funny to ask for food when we're in this giant mess."

Hotch smiled and tugged the younger woman to her feet. "I think it is a _very_ serious topic." he said solemnly, "I can't have myself a withered Emily, now can I?" he said in mock seriousness, much like she had on the day they had met.

This earned a laugh from Emily, who clutched her stomach in her hand and leaned up against the wall as the giggles kept finding their way out of her mouth. Hotch found himself laughing too, finding her laughter to be very contagious. The two didn't quite know why they were laughing at a stupid little joke, but they enjoyed it. The little moment of happiness set them apart from their situation, and for once in a long two days, they were happy.

"I actually do have a few things if you'd like to eat something after you take your bath." Hotch said.

"Okay, thanks." Emily said, watching as he began to leave the bathroom. "And Hotch," she called.

"Yes, Emily?"

"Thanks. For everything. For saving me, and helping me up here and just-everything." she responded.

"You're welcome, Emily. I'm really sorry I put you in the position you were in, though. It won't happen again. " Hotch told her, closing the door.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I think people are losing interest in this, so I'm probably going to put it on hold for awhile and work on some other stories. I hope you enjoy this anyway, and thanks for all the support you guys have given, it means a lot! Read on my furry friends!

* * *

Emily stared in the mirror at her reflection. She had circled under her eyes, and she could barely stand to stare at the burns and cuts and bruises that littered her body. Or, she ran her hand along her collarbone and neck, the prominent bitemark on her collarbone and the now purpleish-red line around her neck. She wondered what her mother was doing, and what kind of condition she was in. Emily wiped a tear off her cheek at the thought of her mother and shed the rest of her clothes, before sliding her body into the warm water. Emily sank lower and lower into the water, relishing in the feel of the warmth of a bath that she hadn't had in a few days. Emily slowly washed her body and worked the shampoo into her hair before dunking her head under the water, listening as she released a few bubbles of air into the tub.

When she was done, Emily flipped the drain and slowly got out of the tub, wrapping a towel around her waist. Realizing she had no clothes to change into, Emily made sure she was covered and opened the door slowly.

"Hey, uh, Hotch?" she called out.

"Yeah?" he asked, not looking up from his spot in front of the television.

"I, uhm, I don't have any clothes." she said, barely containing a laugh at his expression.

She watched as Hotch quickly walked around her room to a laundry basket and grabbed her a pair of shorts and a tank top, as well as a sweatshirt. He walked over to her and looking away, he held out the clothes for her to take.

"Ever the gentleman." Emily smiled, taking the clothes, "I appreciate it, Aaron."

Hotch couldn't ignore the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach when his name fell from her lips. He slowly pulled the door shut and went back to his task of getting the radio to work. From its spot under the TV, Hotch was fiddling with the wires and inputs, outputs, and anything else he could to get a signal. He almost jumped for joy when he got a signal, and quickly tuned it to the nearest station. He froze when he realized he had tuned in to the guard station, and the various channels for the protestors' walkies. He listened intently and picked out words. He heard Emily's name as well as Elizabeth's and that's about it. He noted the anger that was present in the voices and barely restrained himself from running to the bathroom to check on the young brunette there. He couldn't handle it if she was with them again. His heart couldn't take it.

Hotch shut the radio off quickly when he heard Emily leave the bathroom. He slapped himself inside, hard, when he saw her and thought about how beautiful she looked, standing there with her damp curls and shorts, the over-sized sweatshirt making her look even younger and he wanted to hold her, forever. He pushed the thoughts like that aside and forced himself to concentrate on her. It was about two in the morning now, and he planned on getting her food and then back to bed, where hopefully, the nightmares would subside.

"Hey." she greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, you hungry?" he questioned.

"Yes, and I believe you owe me a snack. Or a meal. Or a damn feast at this rate." she retorted, a smile gracing her features.

"Well then, Ms. Prentiss, a feast I shall get you." he responded playfully, glad she was having some sort of fun.

Hotch walked around to the foot of her bed and picked up some sunflower seeds, canned pineapple, bottled water, and a package of beef jerky, which he had made sure to grab a bunch of. They needed protein. Looking down at the food, he realized soon he would be forced to go down to the basement to get more supplies. Which would mean leaving Emily, or taking her with him, and he didn't really like either option. He focused on his task, forcing those thoughts to the back of his head along with the other ones, and walked back over to Emily. Handing her the sunflower seeds, water, and jerky, he sat down beside her on the bed.

"Thanks, Aaron. I think I'd have died without some food soon." she said, opening the jerky and pooping a piece into her mouth.

"They didn't feed you? Anything?" he asked, instantly feeling bad when she stopped chewing and looked down, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up." he apologized.

"No, it's okay." she told him, "No, they didn't feed me, or my mother, we got water." she responded, chewing again, "Not always when we w_anted_ it." she mumbled under her breath, hoping he wouldn't hear.

Hotch heard her though, and decided to let it go. She'd tell him when she was ready to talk.

"Em, I think you should go back to bed." he said, when she had finished eating.

"I should." she drifted off, "But..."

"What, Emily?" he answered, "But what?"

"I'm scared." she answered simply, her gaze drifting down to her knees.

"Of nightmares?" he questioned.

Emily let out a breath, her hands rubbing up and down her thighs as she nodded. She shifted her gaze up to Hotch, her eyes watering.

"What do you want me to do, Em?" he asked, his heart slowly cracking as a tear rolled down her cheeks.

"I don't know. You already do everything you can, I hate to ask more, and-" she was cut off when he slid her hand into his.

"_Never _think you are being a pain to me, ever. Okay?"

"Okay." she said softly, looking into his dark eyes. "Will you lay with me?" she asked timidly, afraid of what his answer would be.

Hotch thought about it for a moment. It was only for a few hours, right? And it's not like they'd be _doing_ anything. But, yet, he couldn't shake the feeling of it being wrong even though he wanted nothing more to hold her. He finally came to a decision and looked at the brunette.

"Sure, only if you're absolutely okay with it." he answered.

"I'm sure, it's just 'till morning, and no one will notice, right?" she said, almost as if trying to justify it.

"Yes, I'm sure no one really cares at this point, and anyway, we have stuff to do tomorrow. Plus, I think you out of everyone needs a good night's sleep."

Hotch watched as Emily got back into bed, pulling the blanket back so he could get in. Emily scooted over to the wall, and Hotch layed next to her, pulling the blanket up to cover them. He was surprised, yet happy when Emily reached her arm between them and slowly intertwined their fingers as she rolled onto her side to face him.

"Goodnight, Aaron." she said softly, her eyes falling shut. "Thank you."

"Sweet dreams, Em." he said back, his own eyes falling shut as sleep overtook the pair.


End file.
